I have always been a lover of books and reading an actual book, but when I left work to go travelling, one bit of travel gear that was a gift to me was my kindle reader. With this Kindle Comparison guide you will be able to decide which is the best kindle for you.
Before the Kindle was given to me I always thought that I would never buy one but now I could not live without one. Now I can’t imagine travelling without one and I can take hundreds of books with me, while I travel.
As I write this, my amazon kindle e reader that I received 10 years ago has stopped working (it fell off my bed and onto the tile floor!!) and so I need to decide which Kindle should I get next.
As I am researching and looking for a Kindle Comparison, into what new kindle I need to buy, what is the best kindle for reading, i will hopefully be able to answer all my own questions and your questions too, about which is the best one to buy from the kindle comparison below.
You might have different needs to me, maybe you are not on the road as much, or you need a light to read while in a dorm room. Hopefully by the end of the article we can both have decided which is the one best suited to us and which is the best kindle to buy for yourself or as a gift for a backpacker.
* This article contains affiliate links. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on the link, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. *
I have put together this guide to show you the differences between the kindles so that you decide what is important to you when picking one of the kindles and help you find the best kindle for you for when you buy kindles.
If you have an Amazon Prime subscription you can read for free thousands of book, audios, or if you do not want a prime subscription you can just sign up to Kindle Unlimited get the first month free and then pay the monthly charge. Kindle Unlimited gives you access to over 1,000,000 books, audios, magazines.
Amazon Kindle Comparison Chart 2024 for choosing which Kindle to buy 2024
Contents
Here is a Amazon Kindle comparison table which will help you when choosing a kindle to buy. You can easily see the comparison of kindle models, the different products and when you know which is important this Amazon Kindle versions comparison chart will help you compare kindles to make your decision of which Kindle to get easier. I hope that this Kindle buying guide will be of use to you.
| Name | Image | Kindle Screen Size | Front Light | Kindle Weight | Kindle Battery Life | Rating (/5) | Kindle Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kindle E-Reader | 6" Glarefree | 4 LEDs | 158g | 6 Weeks | 4.5 | Check Price | |
| Kindle Kids Edition | 6" Glarefree | 4 LEDs | 158g | 6 Weeks | 4.5 | Check Price | |
| Kindle Paperwhite | 6.8" Glarefree | 17 LEDs | 205g | Weeks | 4.6 | Check Price | |
| Kids Kindle Paperwhite | 6.8" Glarefree | 17 LEDs | 205g | Weeks | 4.8 | Check Price | |
| Paperwhite Signature Edition | 6.8" Glarefree | 17 LEDs | 208g | Weeks | 4.8 | Check Price | |
| Kindle Scribe | 10.2" Glarefree | 35 LEDs | 433g | 42 Weeks | 4.3 | Check Price | |
| Kindle Fire 10 plus HD | 10.1" HD | HD Screen | 465g | 12 hours | 4.5 | Check Price |
I hope that this Kindle comparisons chart has helped you make the decision on which kindle to buy.
Guide to Buying the Best Kindle
What is a kindle
A kindle is a small hand held device for reading kindle books or other books downloaded onto the kindle. All of the kindles except the kindle fire are designed solely for reading, rather than accessing the internet. You can also download the kindle app for your mobile and it will sync with your kindle if you happen to read via the amazon kindle app instead.
Benefits of a Kindle
The benefits of a kindle for someone travelling is that you can carry with you thousands of books without the weight of an actual book. It is easy to buy new books depending on the version you have as with some you can connect to the kindle 4g and download straight away, without the need for wifi. Some of the older/basic models you need to connect to wifi.
Where to buy a kindle
The kindle ebook reader is an amazon product and so the easiest place to buy the kindle is from Amazon.
How much is a kindle
Generally the Amazon Kindle Reader & Amazon Kindle Fire Tablet are around the same price, with the Paperwhite more expensive and the Oasis the most expensive. This can depend though if there are offers and prices can change regularly.
Kindle Sizes Comparison 2024
Generally the kindles are around the same size with just the Kindle Fire bigger than the others. Here is a Kindle size comparison chart so you can see the exact sizes of each kindle:
- Kindle – 6.2″ x 4.3″ x 0.32″
- Kindle Paperwhite – 6.9″ x 4.9″ x 0.32″
- Kindle Scribe – 7.7″ x 9.0″ x 0.22″
- Kindle Fire – 9.73″ x 6.53″ x 0.36″
What Kindle should I buy
Each of the different types of Kindles have different benefits and obviously the more you pay the more sophisticated you get. For example the kindle vs kindle fire, these are 2 completely different products, with the kindle being an ereader and the Fire is more of a tablet which you can read books on.
Kindle Books
You can buy amazon kindle books in the amazon store, there is a huge kindle library of books. The prices of the kindle ebooks are reasonable and there is also a big choice of free kindle books. They have a list showing the top kindle books so you can see the most popular kindle books and you can also see the top free ebooks too. You can also choose to join kindle unlimited for a monthly subscription and have unlimited reading and listening on any device. Click here to find out more information on Kindle Unlimited.
Kindle Audible
Audible is a paid plan on Amazon where you can listen to their originals, audio books and podcasts. You can download and listen to these on your Kindle. Learn more about Kindle Audible here.
Amazon Kindle Review – Which Kindle should I buy
Read the reviews below to find the kindle models best suited to you. I will list all the pro’s and con’s of each so at the end you can decide what is the best kindle to buy. The kindle vs kindle paperwhite vs Kindle Oasis vs Kindle Fire Tablet.
Kindle – 11th generation – 2022 Release
Specifications: Front Light, Screen Size 6 Inch, 300 ppi glare free screen, battery life: 6 weeks, Storage 16GB
Pro’s: Cheapest option, great for just reading books, frontlight, no glare.
Con’s: Only good for reading books, bluetooth headphones required.
Colours: Black Kindle and Denim Kindle
The latest kindle is the 11th Generation which was released in 2022, and it’s an upgrade on the previous generation. The 10th generation added a front light to the Kindle, but this generation has gone even further, to improve the experience for the user.
The biggest bonus for this Kindle is that it now has a front light, meaning that you can read in the dark. It is the second generation of the standard kindle to have the light which for me now puts it at the best kindle to buy.
The original kindle has been redesigned even more in this generation and has a 300 pixels per inch glare free screen meaning that the images are sharper and clearer than even before and was a disadvantage for this Kindle before.
It is now thinner and lighter than before making it easier and more comfortable to hold. There is no screen glare unlike tablets BUT it is designed solely for reading books, which can be an advantage if you don’t want to be interrupted with messages and notifications.
It isn’t waterproof like the Paperwhite and Oasis, but this is now the only disadvantage as it now has double the storage of the Kindle paperwhite.
This latest version now has 16GB of storage, double what it had previously and is now available in either black or denim. It is the lightest of all the kindles and can charge in 4 hours from a computer and the charge will now last 6 weeks rather than 4 weeks!!.
This kindle does support audio but does not have a headphone jack so you will need, Bluetooth headphones to be able to listen to any audio.
If you are just looking to read books, then this kindle is certainly the best value and with the front light, more storage and same quality screen as the Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Oasis this now certainly makes it the best value kindle on the market.
Accessories to buy with your Kindle:
Kindle Kids Edition – 2022 Release
Specifications: Front Light, Screen Size 6 Inch, 300 ppi glare free screen, battery life: 6 weeks, Storage 16GB
Pro’s: Cheapest option, great for just reading books – no games, no ads, no distractions for kids, front light, no glare.
Con’s: Only good for reading books, it is not a tablet, bluetooth headphones required.
Colours: Ocean Explorer, Space Whale, & Unicorn Valley
The Amazon Kindle Kids Edition is actually the regular Kindle 11th Generation but with a kid-friendly cover (the standard kindle does not come with a protective cover), 1 year of Amazon Kids and a 2 year worry free guarantee, so if the kindle is broken then it will be replaced.
This Kindle is not a toy and is not designed to be thrown about by children, but is meant to help children who love reading as there are no games, ads or videos on the kindle.
The 1 year Amazon Kids (previously known as freetime unlimited) subscription means that kids can choose popular books and parents can control what age books are chosen within the Parent Dashboard and monitor your childs reading progress. Books included include Harry Potter, Artemis Fowl.
This is a great option if you want to encourage your kids to read without the distractions a tablet would have, though parents have said that the 1 year subscription and parent dashboard can be hard to setup.
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite – 11th Generation
Specifications: 6.8 Inch 300 ppi glare free Screen, waterproof up to 2 metres, storage 8gb or 16gb, 35 hours battery life
Pro’s: Waterproof, great storage options, 35 hours battery life
Con’s: Bluetooth headphones needed for audio, heavier and bigger than kindle
The latest kindle paperwhite is the thinnest and lightest Kindle Paperwhite yet but is still heavier than the Kindle. This is certainly an improvement on the last Paperwhite, with a much better screen and many different lighting options with the maximum 10% brighter than the last. It also can turn pages 20% faster than older models.
It is waterproof so you can relax on the beach, in the bath, by the pool without worrying about damaging it. Supposedly it can last 60 minutes underwater in fresh water less than 2 metres. Sea water it can only last for 3 minutes, though I certainly do not want to test this feature!!!
It is bigger than the kindle and slightly bigger than the Kindle Oasis but it does weigh less than the Oasis.
It has audio though you will need to have bluetooth headphones or speakers to listen to it.
The kindle paperwhite 2022 battery life is around 35 hours, but this depends on whether you are using the backlight for reading and wifi, if you are then the battery will not last as long, also if you are connected to the internet downloading books then this will drain the battery quicker too.
The big advantage between this and the standard kindle was that this is a kindle with light, meaning that you can read in the dark with it, but the new basic kindle now has a front light meaning that these 2 are very similar now and really the only difference will be that the basic kindle does not have the same glare problem or is waterproof.
The Kindle Paperwhite does have the best rating out of all the kindles and the best reviews and now that the screen quality on this has been upgraded significantly with them using 17 LED’s instead of 5 and having many different lighting options, it does make it more superior than the standard Kindle.
Kindle Paperwhite Kids – 11th Generation
Specifications: 6.8 Inch 300 ppi glare free Screen, waterproof up to 2 metres, storage 8gb or 16gb, up to 10 weeks of battery life and 1 year subscription of Amazon Kids+.
Pro’s: Waterproof, great storage options, 35 hours battery life, no distractions as there are no app, videos or games
Con’s: Bluetooth headphones needed for audio, heavier and bigger than the kindle The Kids Kindle paperwhite has been available since December 2021 and is exactly the same as the Kindle Paperwhite for adults except that you can choose from 3 different covers, Emerald Forest, Robot Dreams and Warrior Cats.
The Kindle Paperwhite Kids also comes with a 1 year subscription of Amazon Kids+, if you already have this, then your current subscription will be replaced with the 1 year subscription.
The advantage of the Kids Paperwhite over the Kids Kindle is that the Paperwhite has a larger screen at 6.8″ and it is waterproof meaning that you can take it to the beach or the pool without the worry of it getting wet and damaged. It has been tested to make sure that it survives accidental immersion in water and comes with a 2 year worry free guarantee.
The Kids Paperwhite Kindle comes with a cover to help protect the Kindle from scratches and make it more durable.
The Kindle Paperwhite Kids is more popular than the Kids Kindle and it has a better rating, making it the best choice for Kids.
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition – 11th Generation
Specifications: 6.8 Inch 300 ppi glare free Screen, waterproof up to 2 metres, storage 32gb, 35 hours battery life and wireless charging.
Pro’s: Waterproof, great storage options, 35 hours battery life
Con’s: Bluetooth headphones needed for audio, heavier and bigger than kindle
The new Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition has everything that the latest 11th generation Kindle Paperwhite has plus wireless charging, an auto adjusting front light and 32GB of storage.
This latest edition is more popular than the earlier paperwhite version, simply because it has more storage capacity as 8GB means that you can’t store as many as your favourites as you would like.
The Paperwhite Signature does have wireless charging, though you will need to buy the charging dock separately. It takes 3.5 hours to charge with the docking station, 5 hours from a computer or 2.5 hours with a 9W USB power adaptor.
Accessories for your Paperwhite Signature Edition:
Kindle Scribe – 1st Generation – 2022 Release
Specifications: 10.2 Inch 300 ppi glare free Screen, storage 16GB, 32GB or 64GB, 42 hours battery life for just reading and 10.5 hours if just writing
Pro’s: It is the first Kindle on which you can read and write and store all your notes, great storage options, 35 hours battery life
Con’s: Bluetooth headphones needed for audio, it is the heaviest and biggest of the kindle range
This new Kindle was launched on 30th September 2022 as the first Kindle for reading and writing. It has had some mixed reviews as there are still some improvements that need to be made to the software, the notes you take are able to be exported out of the Kindle by email.
This is the largest Kindle with a screen of 10.2″, bigger than the Kindle Oasis which is 7″. It is designed for both reading and writing and taking notes. You cannot write on the actual books but you can attach a sticky note, and make notes on that.
There are templates included in the Kindle scribe, for you to create a journal or use as a notebook. You can also send PDF documents to your Kindle and write notes on the actual documents. In early 2023 you will also be able to send documents through microsoft word to your Kindle.
It has all the features of the standard Kindles, with a front light so that you are able to read in the dark and adjustable font sizes. It is also available with storage options of 16GB, 32GB or 64GB.
The Kindle scribe does not have wireless charging, you will need a cable to charge, but with a fast charger, it will be fully charged in 2.5 hours. If you are just using the Kindle scribe to read then a charge will last 42 weeks, but if you will be just writing then a charge will large 10.5 hours.
Fire HD10 Tablet – 13th Generation – 2023 Release
Specifications: 10.1 inch screen, battery life 13 hours, 3GB Ram, wireless charging, 433g
Pro’s: Not just an e-reader but a tablet as well, 32gb or 64gb storage, though it can be extended to 1 TB
Con’s: Short battery life, compared to Kindles
The Kindle Fire is now just marketed as a Amazon Fire HD 10 Tablet, as Amazon are now trying to get more into the tablet market as people associate Kindles as just reading devices. This generation is larger than the last, with a better and brighter screen, more RAM, so it is faster than the previous generations when using.
This new 2023 version is available in 3 colors, black, lilac and ocean (blue).
The main question for me is, are you looking for something to just read books or are you wanting to be able to access the internet too. The main issue for me with the Fire is the battery life, it only lasts up to 13 hours. Whereas with the kindle for just reading a book lasts 6 times longer.
It has 32GB or 64GB of storage and you are also able to add an SD card for extra storage up to 1 TB.
The fire has a headphones jack so you do not need bluetooth to listen, unlike the other kindles. As an add on you can also buy a keyboard that attaches to it, so that you can type as if it was a laptop, to make it even more flexible for working on.
You can access the internet on it and watch movies and make video calls. It is very much like a smartphone but just a bigger size. It has a 5 MP front facing camera and a 5 MP rear facing camera.
It has the best reviews of all the kindles, but for me this is primarily a tablet and not a specific ereader and Amazon has also changed its marketing around this product. If you are looking for something multi purpose and not needing something with a longer battery life then this is the best option.
Accessories to buy with your Fire:
- Amazon Bluetooth Keyboard for Fire HD 10 – 13th Generation
- Anti Glare Screen Protector for Fire HD10 – 13th Generation
If you are looking for a tablet or a Fire with a bigger screen then try the Fire Max 11, which was released in 2023, it has a 11 inch touchscreen, with an 8mp camera and it will stay charged for 14 hours.
Decision
Have you decided which Kindle is best? Have you compared each kindle in the Kindle Comparison 2024 chart? I have decided for me that I am going to buy the original Kindle as now it comes with a front light. I hope you have found this guide useful in making your decision on which is the best kindle and let me know in the comments below which kindle you think is the best.
Check out my other buying guides:
- Ultimate Guide to the best portable travel blender 2024
- Ultimate Guide to the Best Filtered Water Bottle for Travel 2024
- Ultimate Guide to the Best Travel Iron 2024
- Useful Gifts for Backpackers
- Best Travel Hair Dryer with Diffuser 2024
- Best Travel Board Games 2024
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